Five worthy reads is a regular column on five noteworthy items we’ve discovered while researching trending and timeless topics. This week, we explore how edge computing complements IoT.

For years, I’ve been the kind of person who leaves the air conditioner running or forgets to turn off the lights. It’s not that I suffer from short-term memory loss, it’s just the way I am. For those who can relate and have been searching for a solution to forgetfulness, our prayers have been answered by the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT helps us automate and control a number of different electronic devices remotely. For example, with this technology, if I forget to turn off my air conditioner before leaving my home, I can access my thermostat through an app on my phone and turn it off no matter where I am.

IoT thrives on fast data, which makes the cloud the primary location for storing and processing all IoT-related data. However, with a global surge in the number of interconnected devices, centralized clouds can no longer efficiently handle large amounts of time-sensitive computational data. On top of that, since data has to travel all the way from a device to its cloud, that travel time could result in network latency.

Imagine there’s a break-in at your place. You’d want the security system to immediately send an alert when it detects the break in. With conventional cloud storage, there may be a several minute delay for the alert, since data has to arrive all the way from the cloud. Situations like this could greatly benefit from edge computing, which would send the alert right away.

Edge computing is a distributed IT architecture that allows data generated by endpoint devices to be processed closer to them. Rather than routing data from an IoT device to a cloud or data center, edge gateways are placed in close proximity and are used to perform the required computations. Your sensitive data is hosted locally on an edge gateway, so latency is reduced and your data is more secure. After all, what’s the point of sending your data to a distant cloud when there’s an edge gateway that’s closer?

With that said, here are five interesting reads on how edge computing can complement the Internet of Things.

Edge computing is no longer just beneficial for IoT—it’s become a necessity, especially for mission critical data that needs to be processed in real time. The research firm IDC has estimated that by 2020, 10 percent of the world’s data will be processed by edge computing.

With the rise of IoT, many companies prefer to keep their data close; this not only ensures faster response times, but also better security. Keeping this in mind, IT professionals should prepare themselves for the IoT-edge revolution.

Edge devices are now capable of handling sophisticated applications and running critical computations, which makes it the perfect platform for processing time-sensitive data. Edge computing can act as a powerful driver for the proliferation of IoT.

Edge computing will not only make data processing more efficient, but will also impact day-to-day business operations. From enabling 5G to easing GDPR roadblocks, edge computing will help transform business.

Cloud computing has been an advantage for businesses for quite some time, but now that edge computing is here, things may start to shift. Rather than a being a competitor, edge is more of a close companion to the cloud, which helps the cloud better handle the massive amount of data generated by smart devices.

Edge computing has put forth some impressive opportunities that have the potential to change the way business is done. Given the volume of data generated by IoT devices, edge is truly an exciting prospect.